Chinese fishing at Philippine shoal – DND

Fort San Felipe, Cavite City – Chinese are fishing at Ayungin shoal, one of the Philippines’ territories in the Spratly Islands, “escorted” by a vessel of their navy, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said today.

“Nangingisda sila sa loob ng teritoryo natin,” Gazmin told reporters after attending the Philippine Navy anniversary rites here.

“Mayroon silang flag, Chinese,” the defense chief said.

Gazmin said the Philippines will deal with the issue “calmly,” by filing a diplomatic protest through the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“Gagawin natin sa mahinahong paraan, para hindi tayo mukhang naghahamon,” he said. (John Roson)

- end -

Chinese vessel stuck at Tubbataha Reef

A Chinese fishing vessel ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef on Monday night, just days after a US Navy ship was removed from the protected marine biodiversity area, authorities said Tuesday.

The fishing boat ran aground at the southern portion of the reef’s North Islet around 11:45 p.m., Navy spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said, citing a report from Tubbataha Reef park superintendent Angelique Songco.

The boat, which bears the number 63168, has 12 crew members on board, Arevalo said.

Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo, Coast Guard spokesman, said one of their search and rescue vessels was sent to the scene to help park rangers investigate.

The BRP Romblon (SARV 3503) arrived at the site around 10:55 a.m. Tuesday and confirmed the grounding of the 20-meter long boat, he said.

“Ang plano is kapag nag-refloat yung fishing boat due to high tide, eescortan ito dun sa Puerto Princesa City then dadalhin ‘yung crew sa National Committee on Illegal Entrants. Kung poachers sila, kakasuhan,” Balilo said in a phone interview.

Should the fishing boat fail to refloat, its crew members will be taken to Puerto Princesa on board the BRP Romblon, he said.

The grounding occurred just 10 days after authorities finished removing the USS Guardian’s wreckage at the reef’s South Atoll on March 30.

The Guardian, which ran aground on Jan. 17 after making a port call in Subic Bay, Zambales, damaged 2,345.67 square meters of coral, according to the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO).

The US government will be fined $1.5 million, or P58.4 million, for the Guardian’s grounding, the TMO said. (John Roson)

- end -

Philippines to hold bidding for Navy warships

The Philippines will acquire frigates for the Navy through bidding instead of a government-to-government deal, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Wednesday.

“Io-open bidding ‘yan, magkakaroon ng kompitensya para malaman kung maganda ang presyo na io-offer nila,” Gazmin said in a press briefing.

Senior defense officials decided to hold a bidding so they can choose from offers by several countries, defense assistant secretary for acquisition, installations and logistics Patrick Velez said.

“Definitely the procurement should be done within the first quarter,” Velez added.

Gazmin announced in August that the Philippines will acquire two “Maestrale” frigates that Italy is offering, through a government-to-government deal.

Earlier this month, undersecretary for finance, munitions, installations and materiel Fernando Manalo said at least five other countries, including South Korea, Spain, the US, Israel, and Croatia, had also offered frigates after Israel. (John Roson)

- end -

1,000 sqm. of Tubbataha Reef damaged due to US Navy ship

At least 1,000 square meters of the Tubbataha Reef in Palawan was damaged because of the grounding of the US Navy ship USS Guardian, the Coast Guard said.

“Initially, 1,000 square meters of the reef was damaged,” Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Armand Balilo said, citing results of an investigation by Joint Task Force Tubbataha.

The task force, led by Department of Transportation and Communications Usec. Eduardo Oban, is still conducting “further assessments,” Balilo said.

Members of the task force include the Coast Guard, AFP Western Command (Westcom), Philippine Navy, Tubbataha Management Office, and local government units.

A Nomad plane of the Air Force conducted another reconnaissance flight over Tubbataha on Wednesday morning, according to Westcom.

A rubber boat, apparently from the US, was seen approaching the USS Guardian around 8 a.m., a Westcom official said.

The USS Guardian, a minesweeper, ran aground at the reef’s “South Atoll” on Jan. 17, three days after making a port call in Subic Bay, Zambales. (John Roson)

- end -

US Navy ship runs aground at Tubbataha Reef

The USS Guardian, a US Navy minesweeper stuck at the “protected” Tubbataha Reef natural park (Photo courtesy of AFP Western Command)

A US Navy ship ran aground at Tubbataha Reef in Palawan early Thursday, authorities said.

The USS Guardian, an Avenger-class minesweeper, ran aground 2:25 a.m. while transiting the Sulu Sea, according to a statement at the US Navy 7th Fleet’s web site.

No one was reported injured in the incident, according to the statement.

Maj. Oliver Banaria, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ 6th Civil Relations Group based in Palawan, confirmed the incident, saying it occurred some 98 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa City.

The incident occurred just a few days after the USS Guardian made a port call in Subic on Jan. 14, Banaria said.

Another photo showing the USS Guardian, a US Navy minesweeper stuck at the “protected” Tubbataha Reef natural park (Photo courtesy of AFP Western Command)

The military’s Western Command has already sent a Nomad plane and the patrol craft PG-383 to conduct reconnaissance at the site of the incident, he said.

“Nagpunta na dun sa area ‘yung mga assets natin para makita kung ano ‘yung assistance na puwede nating ibigay sa kanila (sailors aboard the USS Guardian),” Banaria said in a phone interview.

It was not immediately known what the US Navy vessel hit, but Banaria said corals are abundant in the area.

Tubbataha Reef, a 130,028-hectare “protected area,” is a popular diving spot for local and foreign tourists because of various species of corals and other marine life.

It is located at the heart of what is called the “Coral Triangle,” the global centre of marine biodiversity.

Former President Corazon Aquino declared Tubbataha Reef as a national marine park – the first of its kind in the country – in 1988.

Tubbataha Reef was included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage list in 1993. (John Roson)

- end -

Navy to retire old ships, new chief says

New Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Luis Alano vowed to retire the force’s old ships and push for the acquisition of new ones to protect the country’s waters.

In a speech after being formally installed Wednesday, Alano said the Navy’s “antiquated” ships are more burdens than assets to the force.

“We will rationalize current operational assets, review the modernization program, taking a deliberate look at the phase-in and phase-out scheme, removing the excess baggage of old and antiquated ships and equipment that continue to be heavy burdens on our logistic system,” Alano said.

Alano, who once served as chief of the Navy Fleet, said he will recommend types of equipment that will make the force “relevant” in defending the country’s territory.

“I come at an opportune time, when we are fleeting up with new capabilities like WHECs (weather high endurance cutters), frigates, naval helicopters, MPACs (multi-purpose attack crafts), AAVs (amphibious assault vehicles), as well as individual Marine and special warfare combat equipment,” he said.

Alano, who is set to retire on May 1, 2004, also vowed to continue reviewing the country’s “active archipelagic defense” strategy with an eye at achieving the Fleet’s “desired force mix.”

The Fleet’s “desired force mix” includes six frigates for anti-air warfare, 12 corvettes for anti-submarine warfare, 18 offshore patrol vessels, three submarines, three anti-mine vessels, four sealift vessels, 18 landing craft utility vessels, three logistics ships, 12 coastal interdiction patrol boats, 30 patrol gunboats, and 42 multi-purpose assault crafts that can be equipped with torpedoes and missiles, according to an article in the April edition of the Fleet’s official magazine, Phil Fleet.

The government may need to spend about P497 billion for such equipment, according to the article. (John Roson)

- end -

123 turtles seized from Chinese-backed poachers

Authorities seized 123 endangered sea turtles or pawikan from allegedly Chinese-backed poachers in Balabac, Palawan, the Navy said Friday.

The turtles – six of which were already dead – were found inside three cages made of mangrove branches that were submerged at the shore of Sitio Dunglog, Brgy. Caguisan, Navy spokesman Col. Omar Tonsay said.

The cages were hidden among mangrove trees and the area had four nipa huts believed to serve as observation posts against authorities, he said

Members of the Naval Forces West and the local government carried out the operation around 10 a.m. Tuesday, after receiving reports that poachers were “collecting sea turtles for eventual sale to allegedly Chinese-financed buyers,” Tonsay said in a statement.

Six unidentified persons, believed to be poachers, fled the site on two boats when they saw the operatives approaching their location, he said.

The 117 live turtles, most of which weigh 50 to 60 kilograms, were released on Thursday at Roughton Island, a designated sanctuary for maritime species, Tonsay said.

The dead turtles were buried at a beach near the area were the live ones were freed, he said. (John Roson)

- end -

Navy troops back from drills with Brunei

Navy troops tasked to guard the West Philippine Sea arrived in Palawan on Tuesday after holding exercises with Brunei, a fellow claimant to the disputed Spratly Islands.

Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, chief of the Armed Forces’ Western Command (Wescom), welcomed the troops at the Lagare Pier in Parola Compound, Puerto Princesa City.

“Now that you are back with the new found knowledge, I am confident that you are all more enthused by your commitment to service for aggressive efforts towards peace and security in the area of responsibility,” Sabban told the troops.

The troops, all members of Naval Task Group 80.1 (NTG 80.1), underwent an exercise called “MTA Seagull” with the Royal Brunei Navy from Nov. 19 to 25, according to a statement from the Wescom public affairs office.

This year’s training, the fifth in the series held every two years, was aimed to foster better relationship between the two navies and “enhance inter-operability,” the statement said.

Activities in the joint training included communications exercises, diving techniques, combined practical boarding, at-sea maneuvers, and gunnery exercises.

The NTG 80.1 is composed of the gunships BRP Artemio Ricarte, BRP Gen. Mariano Alvarez, a team from the Naval Special Operations Group, and a team from the Fleet-Marine Ready Force. (John Roson)

- end -

11 Vietnamese rescued in West Philippine Sea

Navy troops rescued 11 Vietnamese nationals whose boat suffered engine trouble while fishing in the West Philippine Sea, just a few miles off Palawan, the Navy said Monday.

Troops on the BRP Ismael Lomibao sighted the foreigners’ fishing vessel QNG 90207 TS some 10 nautical miles east of Bugsuk Island, Balabac, Palawan, and towed it to shore 7 a.m. Sunday, Navy spokesman Col. Omar Tonsay said.

The Vietnamese crew have undergone medical checks at the Balabac Health Center and all were found to be safe and sound, he said.

Investigation showed that the fishing boat came from Quay Ngai, Vietnam. The crew were said to be fishing some 1,500 yards west off the Discovery Great Reef when the boat’s engine conked out on Nov. 6.

“No contraband was found onboard,” Tonsay said, citing information from Coast Guard personnel who boarded the vessel.

The Vietnamese crew is now asking their embassy to have the vessel repaired and will depart upon completion, he said. (John Roson)

- end -

Navy seizes P10-M rice, flour off Sulu

Navy troops intercepted P10 million worth of undocumented rice, flour, and other foodstuff believed to be from Malaysia, during an operation off Patikul, Sulu, on Monday.

The operation came barely a week after Navy troops intercepted P15 million worth of other contraband in the same province.

Col. Omar Tonsay, Navy spokesman, said the latest shipment of contraband was found on board the “motor launch” Shayna, which made its last port call in Tawau, Sabah, and was set to dock at the Warid Pier in Jolo.

Operatives of Naval Forces Western Mindanao earlier received intelligence reports that the motor launch was carrying smuggled goods, Tonsay said.

This prompted the command to send members of Naval Task Force 61 to intercept the vessel using BRP Emilio Liwanag near Daingapic Point around 3:20 am, he said.

The motor launch, which had 12 crew members on board, was found to be carrying 12,000 sacks of rice, 1,412 boxes of assorted foodstuff, and 400 sacks of wheat flour, all of which had no importation documents and permits from the National Food Authority, Tonsay said.

Initial investigation by the Navy operatives indicated that the vessel is owned by a certain Jaiton Jadjap and Darcy Tan, both of Port Area, Jolo. The contraband’s owners have yet to be identified.

The Navy has already turned over the vessel, its crew, and the contraband to the Bureau of Customs in Jolo.

The crew might face charges of violating Republic Act 1937 or the Tariff and Customs Code, Tonsay said.

The operation came just days after Navy troops intercepted P15 million worth of undocumented fuel and cigarettes off Tulian Island, also in Sulu, on Oct. 30. (John Roson)

- end -